Ignition generator



Septf9, 1924. 1,503,262

A. P. YOUNG mnxmouesnmwoa Filed July 25. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheflt 1 w Irv/efibbrt" AT'thLlf p; Young;

y Hisf fitter? Sept. 9, :924. 4 ,z 2

I A; P. YOUNG IGNITION GENERATOR Filed July 261, 1920 Shanta-Sheet. 2

His Abtovney;

- vented certain new' and useful Improve-- rinsed Sept, 9.1924.

UNITEDQSTATE-S- rmosnroune, or xnmnwontrn, nnenann, essrenon T GENERAL,

ELECTRIC comm, A. conronarron-or'nnw Yonx.

Iom'mon GENERATOR- Application filed my 26, 1820. '.Seria1 in. 399,034.

To all whom it may 6mm.- Be it known that I, ARrHUaP. YOUNG, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of Dovedale, Kenilworth, in the county of Warwickshire, England, have inments in Ignition Generators, of which the following is a specification.

invention relates to ignition apparatus and more Iparticularly to ignition generators of the magneto type.

One of the objects of theinvention .is to 'provide a machineof the above type-which shall be compact in construction'andwhich shall have ,relatively'few parts that may be made and assembled at; relatively small 'ex pense.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the above type which can beitiined'witlr facility and which shall be etticientjinopera tion regardless whether the -spark is ad;-

vanced or retarded. y,

Another object is to provide. a secure mounting for magnetos .which' shallbe simple in'construction and hy theluse of which the apparatus may be readily applied and removed from the engine,

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement-jot parts which will be exemplified in the construct-ion hereinafter setforth and the scope of the application of which will be'indicated in the following claims. I v

In' he accompanying drawings .which illustrate a magneto electric machine constructed according to-this invention. Fig; 1 is a .view in longitudinal section of the machine, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of- Fig.1. Fig. 3 is asectional elevation on 'the-lin 33-of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a developed plan of the rotor.

v In the'drawings I represent'a main casino; 1 of aluminum or other non-magnetic material to which four laminated pole pieces 1 2 are secured preferably: by casting them in place. These pole pieces are. secured to four=arc-shaped permanent magnets 3 which surround the casing, and are-arranged with their .north and south poles as shown in Fig. 3. The outer end of the casing 1 contains an annular member 4 of aluminum or other non-magnetic material into tlielwalls of wh ch are secured, as for example by casting in place, laminated inductors 5. These inductors are staggered around the periphery of the ring as shown in developed. plan in Fig. 4. The member 4 is securedjin any suitable 'manner to a steel flange 6 preferably iorlued integral with the main driving shaft? of .the magn'eto.

Theprima-ry and secondary windings nuin .bered 8 and .9 respectively" are wound on a l'aminatedcor 10 which is secured to a steel ,disc '11. preferably adjustably secured to a non-magnetic end cap'12 fastened on the end-0 f tl1ecasing'1. The magnetic circuits can bej'readily traced from; Fig. 4 in which fit-will bel'seen that the flu'x will flow from the two north poles. through the two inductors connected to flange 6, thence through.

the armature core 10. steel disc 11 and the -two inductors lying underneath the south poles. .The flange-'6 'and'the disc 11 would preferably beprovided with a number'ofv perforations or radial"slots (not shown) to reduce eddy cnrrentsin them.

The above construction permi-ts'of the flux in the armature core being reversed every" 90 sothat by mountinga four-point cam 13 on the shaft? adapted to operate a make and break contact. 14,- it is possible to obtain four high tension sparks every revolution. -'lhe cont act breaker is mounted on a-bracket 15 secured to the main casing, one endof the lever carrying the moving contact proiecting through an aperture 16 in the casing into engagement with the cam 13.. A condenser 17 mav be mounted on the casing 1 in close proximity to the contact breaker. and the breaker and condenser are enclosed by a thin sheet metal cover 18 which is easily removable to admit of accessto the contacts for adjusting or other purposes. The primary'and secondary windings are held in place at one end by means of a disc 19 of insulating material into the outer side of which i'S-moulded' a brass ring 20 which is electrically connected through the disc with the secondary winding 9. ,A:brush 21 mounted in an insulating bushing 22 passing through the flange 6 collects the current from the ring 20 and distributes it through a small spark gap 23 to a 'distributing ring 24 moulded into an insulating disc 25. Theand provided with insulating bushings 27.

comprises the inductor which is rigidly mounted upon the driving shaft 7, said driving shaft carrying the breaker cam 13 and -the engine casing.

" preferably provided with an integral outalso carrying the distributor brush 21.

The magneto is preferably mounted upon "the casing 40 of an engine, by means of a supporting plate 29 which is secured in place preferably y nuts 41 threaded upon corresponding studs 50 projecting from the engine casing. A pilot 43 is preferably pro- .yided integral with the supporting plate-to 'snugly'"fit into an opening 42 provided in he stator casing l is standing flange 44: which is rotatably fitted into a corresponding cylindrical recess 45 in the supporting -plate. A retainer ring. 30

preferably serves to clamp the stator frame flange, 44 firmly into place within the supportingplate, the said ring preferably fitting into an annular recess 4:6 in the "side-of the plate opposite pilot 43, a plurality of screws a being preferably threaded through the retainer ring and into the supporting plate. for maintaining the construction assembled; The free end of the inductor or rotor shaft 7 extends to the interior of theengine casing through a longitudinal opening 48 in the stator casing and the supporting plate, for cooperation with a part of the engine from which it is driven.

To effect timing of the magneto the stator casing of the magnetb need merely be rotated about its axis to the appropriate extent by hand, the screws 47 being previously loosened somewhat to relieve the frictional hold of the retainer ringBO upon the flange 44. By reason of the driving. connection between the engine and the shaft 7 which latter carries .the breaker cam and the distributor, these elements will be held against rotation and the cooperating ignition breaker contact on the stator will thus be displaced with respect to the cam and the inductor to bring about the timing desired. lf'desired, a lever (not shown) may be secured to the casing to enable it to be readily rotated. After timing has thus been effected. the screws 47 are. of course, again tightened.

By my invention an unlimited range of timing may be obtained without in any way interfering with the electrical performance of the magneto. With the ordinary rotating armature type of magneto or the polar justment is necessary any retardation of the spark causes a rapid falling. ofi'in the elec trical performance of the -machine. With the present construction it is possible to obtain an unlimited range of timing justment and at the same time to obtain the maximum electrical efiiciency at all points. The form of magneto described also allows of the air gaps in the magnetic circult being radially adjusted to a great degree of accuracy. The steel disc 11 with the core 10 attached may be provided with an adjusting screw passing through the outer cap of the nasing. By movement of this screw the-gap 31 between the flange 6 and the core 10 and .also the gap 32 between the disc 11 and the rotor'4 may be simultaneously varied to any extent. I have not illustrated any particular means for varying the airgaps, but it will be understood that any convenient means may be adopted. I

' It will be seen from the drawings and the foregoing description that my preferred form of magneto is substantially circular in cross section and that flange 44 and the driving kshaft? are both coaxial with the magneto. The magneto construction will thus,

be well balanced regardless in what position the stator is secured abou'tithe axis and so that timing adjustments can-be effected in the manner above indicatcdwithout producing unbalanced strains either upon the or upon the. mechanical "supporting struct e. I

i In order to apply the magneto to the engine, it is brought into engagement with the face of the engine casing, pilot 43 being placed into the opening 42 in the engine casing, the studs 50 on the latter passing through the openings in the' supporting plate. The driving connection with the en gine is .readily established and nuts 41 are .simply screwed in place upon the studs whereupon the mounting is completed.

Timing is theneii'eeted in the manner al ready described.

I claim An ignition generator unit comprising a in combination, a stator, a rotor, cooperating ignition breaker elements mounted one on .said stator and one on said rotor, a supporting plate for said stator adapted to be secured in face to face contact with an engine casing, said rotor having a driving shaft eX- tending throughan opening in said plate, said stator having a circular flange fitting ,in a corresponding cylindrical recess in said plate, and a retaining ring secured to said support for preventing separation of said stator from said recess.

2. In combination. an' engine casing, an

electromagnetic elements of the' apparatus lib ignitionmagneto comprising a rotor haw mg a shaft extending to the interior of said asing to be driven from the engine, a stator having its mass substantially balanced about said shaft, said stator having a circular flange concentric with said shaft, a support plate secured to said engine casin and having a cylindrical recess for lo ging said flange to support said magneto, a retaining ringfor preventing separation of said statorand said plate and securing said stator against rotation, cooperating breaker ele ments mounted one-on said stator and one on said rotor, said parts being constructed and arranged to permit a rotary adjustment of said stator about said rotor and in said recess for timing the ignition.

3. In combination, an inductor magneto comprising a stationary field and a stationary armature, a frame carrying said elements, an inductor rotatable between said field and said armature, a driving shaft connected thereto, an i nition breaker cam and a distributor rigi with said driving shaft, ignition breakercontacts mounted on said frame, a flange inte 'ral with said frame, a sup orting plate for adjustabg mountin means for securing sai to an engine casiiw.

'4. A magneto eIectri'c machine comprissaid flange, and supporting plate aving a recess ing an annular casing, permanent magnets arranged thereabout and having radial pole piece, a laminated armature core, primary and secondary windings carried thereby, a rotor comprising a driving shaft a nonmagnetic annular member rigid t erewith and rotatable between saidv permanent ma'gnets andsaid armature, and sets of laminated inductors carried by said non-magnetic member.

As anarticle of manufacture for magneto electric machines', a rotor comprising a driving shaft, a flange driven thereb an annular ineniber secured thereto and faminated inductors in the surface of said laminated member, some of said inductors being in contact with said flange.

6. In combination, an internal combustion engine, a magneto comprising a stationary field and'a stationary arm'ature, said magneto including a rotor connected thereto to be lriien thereby at half engine speed, a driving shaft for said rotor, a number of equidistant laminated inductors carried by said rotor equal to the number of engine cylinders and a distributor carried bysaid rotor.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 

